Indoor Activities for Kids

This week it looks and feels like Spring is still a long way off and its got me thinking about indoor activities for kids. Never have my children been so enthralled by the weather forecast. ‘Is it today? Is it going to snow today? Here in Sunny Worthing protected by the Downs we often miss out on the snow. But we woke up to white blanket this morning. Huge excitement in the house. My 13 year old was even at the park with me for a dog walk at 6.30am – that’s definitely unheard of!

The excitement slowly faded when they realised that it was school as usual though. We’ll see what happens later in the week, maybe we’ll have at least one snow day at home?

Snow is of course lots of fun for kids but once you’ve had some fun outside for a while reality hits and they suddenly realise how cold they are. You head inside and once you’ve ditched the wet clothes, and gulped down your hot chocolate, there’s still a lot of hours to kill before bedtime.

So, what to do without all going mad and spending the rest of the day sitting in front of the TV? Here’s some good ideas around indoor activities for kids :-

Indoor Camping

I always loved doing this with the kids when they were little. Bringing the fun of the outdoors inside with indoor camping.

Cheap, doesn’t cost a penny, but the kids love it. They can also pack up “survival kits” before they get set on building their camp – including books, drawing pads, pencils, snacks and a torch.

Then it’s time to build – gather bed sheets, duvets, lots of cushions and blankets and drape them over furniture to create a den or a camp. The more blankets and cushions inside, the better (my favourite bit, so then you get to have a lie down too!). I don’t think you’re ever too young or old for indoor camping.

Our cardboard colour in house is also very popular for den making because it easily slots together and you can then use it in the garden when the weather warms up.

Mini Masterchef

The mundane activity of cooking lunch or dinner can be made a lot more exciting if you give your children (almost) free reign of what they want to cook and allow them to get involved (and you get your head around the fact that they will make a mess!)

Give them an apron, check out the recipe books, and allow them to help you with the cooking. I’ve always loved cooking with my boys from when they were really young and they still love it now. They are getting quite adventurous too although most of the time their menus usually still involve chocolate and pizza.

The biggest thing this activity usually requires? Patience!

Make A Treasure Hunt

A simple treasure hunt takes a little bit of planning and some sort of surprise at the end but is usually lots of fun. Just grab 10 pieces of paper, each with a clue written on to give an idea of where the next clue is hidden.

I like the idea of using the hunt to your advantage and add an extra twist – for instance, to get to the next level the children have to a) spend five minutes tidying their bedroom or b) clean away their toys etc.

Balloon Ping Pong

You will need two paper plates and lollypop sticks/straws/cutlery to stick to them to make a handle. These are the bats. Blow up a balloon for the ball.

Make your own net in the middle with a blanket on the floor and you’re ready to go.

I love this idea and again, I think is brilliant for lots of different ages.

Masking Tape Games

Create an indoor mini Olympics!

If you have a roll of masking tape, there are countless games you can play. Simply use the tape on your carpet/floor to mark out the games, whether that be hopscotch, a bullseye for a ball game, giant noughts and crosses, tracks for toy cars, or a maze.

There are so many arts and craft ideas and some people seem to be amazing at thinking up very clever ideas and creating real works of art with just an old empty toilet roll. As someone who is slightly more artistically challenged I love a bit of help. Djeco have an amazing range and prices start from as little as £2.50. I’m also a big fan of these colouring in dressing up costumes. Colour them in, cut them out, and they look brilliant – who doesn’t love a cool dressing up costume? Most definitely on the list for great indoor activities for kids.

And once the kitchen is finally clear of flour and you’ve wiped all the smeared chocolate off your cushions from the indoor camping, the dog will probably be asking to go out (our Max is always ready, come rain, shine, snow or earthquake) so it’s time to get the outdoor clothing on again!

Keep warm everyone, and hope you have some great fun this week. We’d love to hear about your amazing ideas for indoor activities for kids or any of your fabulous snow photos!